Talk of Warriors
by Wah-Keetcha
Summary: Lennox and Ironhide talk about the future beside a fallen Optimus. If you haven't seen the movie this *might* be considered a spoiler fic, so yeah. read at your own risk.


Title: Talk of Warriors

Rating: G

Author: Wah-Keetcha

Summary: Lennox and Ironhide talk about the future beside a fallen Optimus.

Author Note: Guess this could be considered a spoiler if you haven't seen the movie, so don't read it if you haven't seen the movie/ Ironhide and Lennox might be a little out of character, but I was in a somber mood today and thus this was born. Please review is you deem this worthy.

Optimus Prime's lifeless body rests on the tarmac where is had been unceremoniously dropped by the helicopters, his once bright and intelligent optics dark in death as energon drips from the severed lines to congeal in pools like blood beneath him. The order to stand down and return to Diego Garcia were issued and confirmed hours ago but Major Lennox refused to give the order to load up, instead weathering the fury of Advisor Galloway silently, hoping to give his Autobot comrades time to grieve for their leader. The sun had set nearly an hour ago and already the chill of a desert at night sweeps across the empty tarmac, settling into the young Major's bones as he walks slowly over to where Optimus' body lies. Lennox would later say it was the chill of the night air that caused his body to tremble as he approached the still body of the alien leader.

"Hey big guy." Lennox greets Ironhide softly as he approaches, watching as the blue optics snap to life and the fingers twitch in an automatic response to being startled out of his thoughts.

"So, what happens now?" Lennox asks, craning his neck to look up at the imposing Ironhide as the mech glances downward, his hands coming to rest on his hips, blue optics sad as his gaze flicks over his commander.

"What do you mean?" he asks slowly and backs away a few steps and eases himself down onto the tarmac, stretching his heavily armored legs out before him, tinkering with his left cannon for a moment. In the two years since first being introduced to Ironhide Lennox had only seen this side of the gruff and sturdy mechanoid once before and that was after a cannon misfire had removed the hanger on Diego Garcia's back wall, injuring five NEST soldiers in the process. It was then that Lennox learned in a conversation with Optimus that behind the warrior mech's rough and unbreakable exterior was a spark of true compassion and kindness.

"I mean who claims leadership of the Autobots?" Lennox asks and for a moment the warrior is silent before he responds. One arm moving to gesture to the hanger where Ratchet is with the NEST soldiers.

"Ratchet is the best choice to assume authority but he doesn't want it. He believes that everything can be sorted out through peaceful negotiations, but knows the situation is far beyond diplomacy." He informs and I glance at Optimus' marred helm, wishing not for the first time, that he'd suddenly come back online. But Lennox has seen too much death to know that it is final.

"Well, what about you? Or the others, Blurr and Sideswipe?" This earns a deep rumbling from Ironhide Lennox has come to recognize as laughter.

"Blurr and Sideswipe couldn't lead _themselves_ out of a fire fight, never mind a unit. Their good mech's but their not the leader type. As for me, I'm just a warrior I take orders, not give them." Lennox nods at this, knowing from experience it was easier to be a soldier than the man commanding them.

"Besides, Optimus is my oldest friend. I wouldn't want to step into his shadow and disgrace what he worked so hard for." Ironhide concludes, once more wrapping himself in silence as he sits beside his friend. Lennox pats the warrior's leg armor in a rare moment of comfort before leaning against it, feeling the strange 'pulse' of energy from beneath the plates.

"Do you realize Lennox, Optimus never relished being a Prime, the weight of leadership fell heavily on his shoulders and he felt every minute of it." Ironhide suddenly says, startling Lennox out of his thoughts. The soldier looks up at the mech finding his optics dimmed. The confession didn't surprise the Major, having been in conference with the Autobot leader numerous before and seen first hand the tolls of the decisions he had to make.

"The respect of your troops is something you _earn_ not something you should expect." Lennox trails off, the words of a previous conversation with Optimus when NEST was first activated coming back as he gazes at the body of his friend. In the past when Lennox was having a rough time with his command he would often seek out the mechanoid, for company of someone who knows the trials of leadership.

"Yeah, that sounds like Optimus." Ironhide says before the two warriors fall once more into silence. The stars over head are coming out, shining brightly in the bleak darkness.

"What will you do with him?" Lennox asks slowly and Ironhide shrugs, his optics staring up at the sky overhead.

"Your government will probably do with him what they did with the Decepticons. It's a disgrace. Not once did Optimus allow us to leave a fellow Autobot to rust or be scrapped beside a Decepticon, but this isn't _our_ planet." Ironhide's growl edges on the words as the two warriors settle back into silent contemplation.

"But you won't leave?" Lennox asks slowly and Ironhide shifts, knowing the human soldier was making a round about inquiry to the earlier statement made by Ratchet earlier. Ironhide intakes a great amount of air before blowing it out his exhausts before answering.

"And go where? Our home world, Cybertron, is gone and Optimus was-is right, what happens if we do leave and the Decepticons decide to exact their revenge like their doing now? Your world would be destroyed and I know Optimus wouldn't want that, he wouldn't want us to leave your world unprotected just because he's gone." Lennox nods silently but Ironhide just snorts

"Knowing Optimus like I do, he'd find a way to come back and kick our skid plates for leaving." Lennox laughs, a mental image of ghost-Optimus haunting his Autobots.

"He was a stubborn guy, that's for sure." Lennox agrees, pushing himself to his feet and turning as the sound of booted feet striking tarmac catches his ear. Ironhide watches as Epps arrives, a bewildered look on his face as he quickly nods and addresses Lennox.

"There's a communications from a Seymour Simmons…. He's using code but it sounds like he knows something." Ironhide's optics widen at the mention of the Sector Seven agent as Lennox also cocks and eyebrow. Epps only shrugs and gestures for Lennox to follow so he can take the communications. Lennox turns and gives Ironhide's leg armor another pat before taking off behind the other man, leaving the veteran warrior beside his leader. Ironhide settles back and crosses his arms, giving a 'humph' before looking down at Optimus.

"What'd you do? This is some crazy scheme of yours isn't it?" no answer comes from the Autobot leader but the wind whistling through his damaged armor but Ironhide can feel it in his spark, Optimus is still meddling around, bending the situation to the Autobot's advantage. Tenderly the old warrior reaches out and gently pats his friend's shoulder before standing, giving the warrior leader one last sad glance before heading off to the hanger to see what the excitement is all about, determined to not give up without a fight.

For Optimus' sake.

End.

Author Note: To me, in the movie it sounded like Ironhide had assumed control of the group when Ratchet Said "we should just leave" or something to that effect, to which Ironhide responded "it's not what Optimus would have wanted." I think that's the 1-2 lines that lodged themselves in my brain out of the whole movie, so yeah. Ya never know, I might write some more TF fanfics. Thanks for Reading!


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